Saturday, April 30, 2016

The Jenny Monthly Challenge - April Reveal, Part 2

Here it is, the last day of April... and time for Part 2 of my April Monthly Challenge Reveal!As a quick refresher from yesterday, my Monthly Challenge for April was to make something using jewelry misfit components that I purchased from my local consignment shop (it's called Shoes Included Consignment for those interested).

Look at all the possibilities!I'll give you a hint... today's set was made using two items found in this picture.

And make something I did--to the tune of three jewelry sets, a pair of earrings, and a necklace!Now, I have showed all but the last set (the other items can be seen in yesterday's entry). This last set took the most time to make, by far. That's why it gets it's own entry--it's a grand finale, if you will.So! Here is the teaser picture I posted yesterday...

...But that's honestly getting a little ahead of myself.You see, that mix of beads didn't start off as a jumble. In fact, it started off as nice little piles, that I pulled from my stash to match the components I wanted to use:

...And what components are those, you ask?Well, I picked all of those beads to match this pair of mis-matched earrings:

But, again, I'm getting ahead of myself.You see, when I saw those earrings, I immediately knew that I wanted to make them into a lariat necklace... Which is exactly what I did:

I embellished the focal beads with bead caps and added some points of interest to the tassels. I then added a very long chain to connect the two--which means that the lariat can be worn tied in the front or as a scarf-style necklace.

...So, you're probably wondering where does that bead pile comes in.Well, I thought it might be fun to embellish on my mis-matched silver-and-gold, white-and-shades-of-blue theme.And that's how I turned this...

...into this!

I really pushed myself to make that beaded section completely random--in the type of wire I used for the links (there is both silver and gold), the types of accenting findings I used (again, silver and gold or a mix), and the pattern itself (I just pulled beads out without looking).

...But, I really couldn't decide which I liked more--the golden chain by itself, or accented by the beaded strand..My solution? Well, if you look closely, you can see that there are little lobster clasps at both ends of the beaded strand, which means that it can actually be attached or detached at will. They're unobtrusive, and honestly can't be seen unless you know they're there.

There are so many possibilities with this set! The lariat necklace can be worn either with the addition of the long beaded chain, or simply as itself. The beaded strand can be worn as part of the lariat, or on its own--either as a long strand, or as a double-wrapped necklace.

...And, because I couldn't leave just well enough alone, I made matching earrings, which fit the tassel theme of the set:

Here is everything together!

So, ta-da! That is everything that I made for this Monthly Challenge. I really worked hard on these pieces, and I am quite happy with how things turned out. It is always nice when hard work pays off!...And I already know what my challenge is going to be next month. Woo! Happy last day of April, everyone... I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday!

To Tell the Story

See a design here that you like, and want me to replicate? Let me know! Chances are, I will be able to make it for you, too! (Depending on the availability of materials, of course.)

All ideas and designs shown here are my intellectual property--unless otherwise noted and credited. Please do not copy or imitate my creations, and respect their creator. Thank you!

My Monthly Challenge!

...Reveal for my most recent challenge...

Pretty Palettes - July Reveal

We're All Ears - July Reveal

Pretty Palettes - June Reveal

June 2017

We're All Ears - June Reveal

Allegory Gallery - Water & Fire Competition Reveal

Pretty Palettes - May Reveal

We're All Ears - May Reveal

Pretty Palettes - April Reveal

We're All Ears - April Reveal

Allegory Gallery - Forest Journey Reveal

Pretty Palettes - March Reveal

Bead Soup Blog Party: Bead Hoarders Edition

We're All Ears: March Reveal

Allegory Gallery - Queen of Hearts Reveal

Pretty Palettes - February

We're All Ears: February Reveal

Pretty Palettes - January

We're All Ears: January Reveal

Muffin Tin Challenge 2017

Pretty Palettes - December

We're All Ears: December Reveal

2nd Annual Use Your Leftovers Challenge

Pretty Palettes - November

We're All Ears: November Reveal

Pretty Palettes - October 2016

We're All Ears: October Reveal

We're All Ears: August Reveal

Allegory Gallery - Mystery Challenge 2 Reveal

Pretty Palettes - July 2016

Allegory Gallery - Luna Moth Reveal

Allegory Gallery - Tribes Competition: Coast

Allegory Gallery - Tribes Competition: Nomad

Allegory Gallery - Tribes Competition: Petal

Allegory Gallery - Tribes Competition: Mountain

We're All Ears: July Reveal

Pretty Palettes - June 2016

We're All Ears: June Reveal

Allegory Gallery - Starling Wing Reveal

Pretty Palettes - May 2016

We're All Ears: May Reveal

Pretty Palettes - April 2016

We're All Ears: April Reveal

Pretty Palettes - March 2016

We're All Ears: March Reveal

Pretty Palettes - February 2016

Bead Peeps Swap N' Hop

History Hop: Paleolithic Edition

Beady Leftovers Blog Hop

Leather Feather Blog Hop

AJE Component of the Month - August 2015

Bead Peep's Swap N' Hop

Artisan Component Marketplace Design Kit Challenge

2nd Annual Bead Hoarders Blog Hop

Haberdashery Blog Hop

8th Bead Soup Blog Party

Color of Dreams Blog Hop

Bead Ruckus

Bead Hoarders Blog Hop

History Blog Hop

7th Bead Soup Blog Party

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About Me

I always create.

It is something that I’ve always done, even when I was a little girl making clothes for my dolls and creating elaborate landscapes in the backyard mud. Beads, fabric, paper, ink, language itself—I use every medium that I can get my hands on.

Why do I create? It’s my attempt to express the visions and stories that I have in my head. To me, everything has a story. The jewelry that I make has its place in the worlds about which I write. The skirts and scarves that I create have a history sewn in each seam (especially since I am notorious for not following patterns, but creating my own). To me, they are all outlets of my imagination. All are representations of my inner world.

And so, that is me. Thank you so much for stopping by! I am honored to have the opportunity to share my world with you.